Why he is a Community Hero: Mr. Cooper started his Fathers Rock, Inc., organization after working with a Baltimore city Headstart program to bolster male involvement. Now, he and his group are in the planning stages of a 24-city “Manhood Fatherhood” tour to take place in 2014.

Kashaun Cooper Sr., founder of Fathers Rock Inc. and author of “The Champion Father,” may have grown up without the presence of a father in his early years but is prospering in that role now. With his organization and book, Mr. Cooper’s goal to provide leadership tools and getting fathers involved with city school administration is inspirational.

Cooper, a native of New York, grew up without his father and was thrust in a position to help his mother support their family. As a result, Cooper never graduated high school but that didn’t quell his later ambitions. After assisting the Baltimore City Headstart program as a result of his son being enrolled in 2011, he was tasked to help increase the visibility of male involvement in the classroom.

“They had about two fathers for a program that had about 111 students,” explained Cooper. “Male involvement is almost nonexistent in the majority of our city schools, even private schools and charter schools.”

Over the course of the 2011 school year, Cooper was able to raise the number of fathers in the program from two to over thirty. The success of his efforts led him to create the Fathers Rock, Inc. and The Champion Father organizations.

Cooper further explains that he and other speakers from Fathers Rock, Inc. goes into city schools to work with the administration and teachers to foster a deeper connection between men and the student body in need of their support. Cooper’s hands-on approach is refreshing, and the workshops his organizations host are geared towards not only celebrating fatherhood, but developing good fatherhood habits.

“[We] bridge the gap between ordinary father, challenged father, and champion father,” said Cooper of the learning process. “We’ll take a father who has been recently released from prison, now you connect him with his children. That is such a beautiful, beautiful sight, but now the pressure of life happen.”

Cooper says from there, he and his team help groom fathers returning to society on their journey while understanding the challenges ahead. Deeply embedded in the Baltimore community, Cooper has aligned himself with other men who realize their duty to the younger generation.

Watch A Promo Video For “The Champion Father” Below:

In the fall of 2014, Fathers Rock, Inc. and a host of other like-minded organizations will embark on a 24-city, 24-month tour called the “Manhood Fatherhood Tour.” Cooper is seeking donations in a goal to raise $2 million to help fund the tour and provide necessary resources and attract the proper manpower.

To learn more about Fathers Rock, Inc. and The Champion Father groups, click here.